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The Twelfth Step
The Twelfth Step is the second episode of LOST: The Next Generation. It was originally broadcast on July 6th, 2010. A trip to the jungle for food leads to a trial of temptation for Dominic. Meanwhile, Ned and the others have to deal with the fallout of the mysterious man in the jungle. Flashback explores the origin of Dominic's ring. Read the script here. Synopsis Flashbacks Dominic Dominic is alone at a club drinking like he enjoys the nightlife, a blonde hair woman takes a seat next to Dominic and Dominic feels attracted to this woman. Dominic talks it up with this woman while the woman reveals her name as Beth. The two make an instant connection and begin to bond over a dance on the dance floor. An unknown time later, Dominic takes Beth out to a dinner at a restaurant. Beth is shocked at the glamor of the place to which Dominic explains he had to empty out his checking account for it. While they're eating, Beth breaks it out into the open that she's married which makes Dominic angry because he thought she was a single woman; Dominic then stops to notice a bruise on her arm, which Beth tries to cover up but lets out that her husband is abusing her, stating that it's complicated. Dominic starts to leave but not before Beth suggests that they should remain friends, which Dominic agrees to. Later on, Dominic is in a motel room with Beth trying to convince her to get away from her husband on an around the world cruise but she is convinced that her husband will just find them again. Dominic tries hard to convince Beth to leave with him but Beth remains scared of her husband. As Dominic is finding the gift he bought for her, a guy knocks on the door; claiming to be room service. Dominic opens the door to reveal her husband Tom who is angry that his wife is hanging around with Dominic. Tom throws Dominic out of his path as he goes directly towards Beth; Beth is begging to Tom to leave Dominic alone but Tom further disparages Dominic, calling him "scrawny and weak". Feeling angry about the remark Tom make, Dominic gets up and tackles Tom into a glass table. A glass shard gets stuck in Tom's neck and he dies a slow but painful death. Beth tries to convince Dominic to go on the run with her but she refuses, trying to convince Dominic to leave without her. Dominic then pulls out a box and opens it to reveal a ring intending for her to take it before he leaves but she refuses the gift and yells at Dominic to get out of her motel room. Annie Dominic is sitting at a bar feeling woozy, Annie is sitting at a nearby chair talking to Mats as she keeps watch on Dominic. As the crash nears, she urges Mats to go back to his cabin, additional stating that Dominic is one of the last ones. After Mats has left, Annie places a bottle of MacCutcheon Whiskey into Dominic's bag, she then continues to stare at him and suddenly, she cracks a smile. On the Island Trivia *The title 'The Twelfth Step' comes from the rehabiliation program for alcoholics, in which twelve steps must be followed to overcome alcoholism. *This episode marks the first on-screen death of the series, and that is of Tom Moxley. * Emily and Mats' full names are given, meaning all characters are now fully identified. Katy's full name however, wasn't given, despite being with Marcus at the time. Analysis Recurring themes * The twelfth and last step to the alcoholic's 'twelfth step program' is to 'Have had a spiritual awakening as the result of the previous steps, to carry this message to alcoholics, and to practice these principles in all our affairs' - The island represents this awakening. * Dominic overcoming alcoholism again could be seen as fate from the island, enduring these tests. However, the fact Annie and Mats engineered the plan could suggest that it could've happened anyway. * Beth Moxley pretends to be a single woman, when she is in fact married. * Tom Moxley is the first character to die on screen. Cultural references * Zhen references the movie 'Cast Away' in a conversation with Dominic. * Zhen also mentions there not being a 'handguide' in homage of an earlier conversation in the original series between Charlie and Claire. Unanswered Questions *How did Annie and Mats know about Dominic and his alcoholism? *Why did they need to test him? *Who is the co-author of ‘Encounter at Far Point’? *Why and to whom, was Marcus writing a letter to on the ship? *What is the origin and importance of Dominic's chain? *Why did Marcus burn the letter and why was he so emotional about it? *If testing Dominic was the plan, why did Mats say Annie was treading hot waters? *Before Dominic joined them, what was Annie suppose to be sneaking off to find if Mats was already going to look for the book? *What were the designs Leigh spoke of in the book? *Why was Dominic added to the list and yet the other letters/names were already there? Had they already been tested? *Where the whispers Mats and Roz heard in the jungle those of the dead or something else? *If Mats is familiar with the Island, why did the whispers startle him? *Why does Roz not like to get involved? *Why does Theo leave when Mats enters the wreckage site? *What is the source of the islands healing abilities that are now affecting Ned and Summer? *What things has Summer been through that she claims are 'worse' than the burns she was inflicted? *Does Emily have any connection to Brother Campbell? *Does Mats know anything about Jacob’s Cavern? Category:Dominic centrics